Half A Heart
by WhoserLoser
Summary: **Warning: This is slash, meaning boyxboy. If you don't like that, turn back now. Rickyl (Rick Grimes/Daryl Dixon)** *AUish, where Rick and Daryl get separated.* The former sheriff ran a gentle hand through his hair, letting out a small sigh. He really hoped that he'd be able to hold the real Daryl soon; That they'd be able to hold each other soon and just simply...be together.


**Hello guys! How's it going? I'm finally back! I know I haven't posted a lot of stories lately and I really am sorry about that. It's just...sometimes life hits you hard, you know? But anyways...this summer I plan on working on my other story, Accidentally In Love, because...a lot of people want me to continue that. And I also plan on working on some one-shots. If you have any pairings you want to see or any fanficiton ideas, let me know with your lovely reviews!**  
**This one shot is about Rickyl (Rick Grimes/Daryl Dixon), and is based off of a One Direction song called Half A Heart. Yes, I am aware they are both...not gay. But in my mind, they are. So...onwards to the story! J And I hope you all enjoy.**

By now, the apocalypse was taking its toll on all of them. Each of them was losing hope little by little. The fact that every day they seemed to lose another person just made everything so much worse. And it seemed like the group was starting to fall apart- both literally and emotionally.

The group had been split up due to a rather huge herd of walkers, so now there were two groups. Now both groups weren't too sure if the others had made it out alive or not. It was a scary thought though, never seeing your loved ones again. So many people had already been through that. There didn't need to be even more. There was Rick with Lori, Daryl with Merle, Carol with Sophia, Maggie with Hershel, and now Beth just to name a few. But this was their lives now.

Due to the split, secret lovers Daryl and Rick were split as well, one going to one group while the other obviously was shoved into the other group. Rick had his children with him thankfully, both Carl and Judith, so he wasn't complaining about that. He just really wanted his boyfriend by his side. He was worried about Daryl. He could only pray that the hunter made it out alive and that they could see each other again.

Daryl, meanwhile, was with Maggie, Glenn, Carol and a few others. He had hid his worry, even if he wasn't the only one genuinely worried. Daryl just didn't do emotions or feelings. He was a hunter, for God's sake.  
Now that the herd was gone, or rather both groups had escaped; they now had to worry about staying safe.

 _So your friends been telling me, you've been sleeping with my sweater, and that you can't stop missing me._

Luckily, Rick still had Daryl's jacket on. He hadn't given it back to the hunter, and it still smelled like his boyfriend, which gave him a small slice of hope. It was better than nothing, anyways. He loved to cuddle up with it on nights like tonight when he couldn't have the real thing here with him.

The former sheriff ran a gentle hand through his hair, letting out a small sigh. He really hoped that he'd be able to hold the real Daryl soon; That they'd be able to hold each other soon and just simply...be together.

 _Bet my friends been telling you I'm not doing much better, 'cause I'm missing half of me._

Meanwhile, Daryl wasn't doing as good. He was surprised he hadn't broken down yet in front of the others. He was missing Rick badly, and it was starting to show. He was starting to show his true feelings, and he was starting to lose his composure. It was starting to show in the way Daryl worried his chapped bottom lip between his teeth. It was starting to show in the way he kept looking over his shoulder in hopes to find the others behind them, hoping they would be there. Every time was full of disappointment though. Daryl's worry was starting to show the worst at night, when he would get at least two or three hours of sleep. But he would spend most of it mumbling Rick's name as he tossed and turned. It was horrible.

 _And being here without you is like I'm waking up to  
Only half a blue sky, kind of there but not quite  
I'm walking 'round with just one shoe  
I'm half a heart without you  
I'm half a man at best, with half an arrow in my chest_

Rick was the one who worried his bottom lip between his teeth now, trying not to pace in his spot. Daryl was his only reason for still being here, for still fighting; Daryl and his children of course. He couldn't live without the three of them in his life; Judith, his sweet and innocent baby girl; Carl, his little boy who turned into a little man way too quickly.

Because of those three people, Rick was still fighting. He was fighting for them, to protect their lives. But now he had the others to worry about too, which just seemed to add more stress to him...

And it was hard. It was hard to be the leader of so many people. Sure, this time he was blessed to have his kids by his side. But he didn't have the man he had desperately fallen for. He didn't have Daryl by his side. And the worst part about it was that he hadn't even told the man he loved him. Not yet anyways. He was planning on it. He was trying to keep his hopes up. But he couldn't help but think...what if one of them died, and the unsaid words haunted Rick either way? He couldn't live like that. He needed to see Daryl again. He needed to see his beautiful Southern boyfriend again.

It was just torture for Rick at this point, being away from Daryl. It was like waking up to a nightmare, a never ending nightmare after a long night's peaceful sleep that was full of amazing dreams. He'd rather be asleep, since Daryl could still be with him in his sleep at least.

In real life, it was like he was incomplete.

No one even knew about their relationship, making it even harder on the two of them. It was devastating for him especially. Daryl usually felt so unappreciated and Rick wanted to make Daryl feel appreciated. But they had to hide their love from the rest of the group, afraid they would be judged. Even in this apocalyptic world.

But Rick knew that if- no **_when_** he saw Daryl again, he was going to make sure everyone knew the hunter was his. And vice versa. Just the thought was making him smile. The thought of the two of them coming out was simply...amazing.

He knew that they would have a lot of explaining to do but he wanted to live out the rest of his life, or rather their lives now, being happy. If they lost a few people due to their sexual orientation, then that was too bad.

Hiding wasn't part of his happiness.

 _I miss everything we do  
I'm half a heart without you_

The hunter was still feeling pretty shitty himself, missing Rick just as bad. He missed their late night conversations they had when everyone was asleep. He missed the light kisses Rick tended to press to his cheek and forehead, no matter how many times Daryl told Rick it was girly. Daryl, however, loved them. And Rick could tell which is why the former cop still did it. It gave them both the affection that they needed in this type of world.

He missed their small hunting trips that would give them a bit of privacy...which normally ended up with the two of them walking hand-in-hand in the middle of some forest. Not that he was complaining. He loved all the time he spent with Rick and his children. Lil' Asskicker was just a sweetheart, and Carl and him had bonded quite a bit already. He was damn sure the kid nearly looked up to him. Well, him and his father.

God he hoped they were all okay...

 _Forget all we said that night, no it doesn't even matter.  
'Cause we both got split in two._

They had all seen people get torn apart, by the walkers that still linger; literally torn apart, limb from limb. And it's terrifying. Rick had to keep up with his positive attitude, no matter how hard it was. He himself was starting to lose hope though without his boyfriend by his side.

He continued on his way, the others following close behind. He honestly didn't want to but he knew he had to. They were all relying on him to lead them to...to what? That was just it. He didn't know anymore. All of their previous 'safe havens' had been false. It seemed like he was just leading them to even more pain and suffering.

He ran a gentle hand through his hair, before he rubbed at his beard that was getting rather long. He let out a small, breath that most of the others couldn't hear as he glanced around the small area they were in. He grew a bit stumped, unsure of what to do next or even where to go. That was a first. He usually knew what to do. Or at least seem like...he knew what he was doing. It was early morning by now, which gave them all a fresh start, in a way.

He decided on one path that seemed to lead to a forest- like they needed to go through another one of those. He knew he was back tracking now, which he was doing on purpose, in hopes to run into the rest of the group. He figured the herd of walkers would have to be gone by now. And they had all agreed to backtrack if they got separated.

So Rick had leaded them back through the familiar forest, all of them secretly praying they wouldn't stumble upon another corpse from their group.

 _Though I tried to get you out of my head,  
the truth is I got lost without you._

Daryl knew his way back, back to the horrible spot where he was separated from his boyfriend. Thankfully, due to his hunting, he knew how to track people. His mind was just currently swarming with thoughts and images of Rick and his children. And...of course the rest of the group that currently wasn't with them. It was just that Rick was at the front of his mind; for obvious reasons. He knew it hadn't been too long, and yet he missed his dorky, and completely adorable boyfriend.

He found a trail of footprints, a familiar pair that were obviously Rick's shoes and he began to follow them towards the opening, where the walkers had been. Maybe if they were to follow them, they would be lucky enough to run into the others. He froze in his spot when he heard a stick snap, glancing behind him to the rest of the group. His thoughts, for once that day, had finally fallen silent as he held his breath, wishing for the best. His heart nearly sunk when Glenn gave a hesitant, small nod to confirm that it had been him. He held back a sigh before he looked ahead of him again, his eyes squinted in their usual way.

 _And since then, I've been waking up to  
Only half a blue sky, kind of there but not quite  
Walking 'round with just one shoe  
I'm half a heart without you_

Rick's eyes perked up as he heard the same stick snap. And he knew it came from somewhere in the distance- in front of them. Was it possible that it had been Daryl and his group? But...what were the odds of that? It was most likely a walker who had stepped on the twig. At least in today's day and age.

Still, the former cop signalled them forward, making sure Carl was safely between Tara and Michonne, and Judith was being protected by Tyreese. He knew Carl didn't need the protection but it was better safe than sorry. He had taken that risk before and had come to regret it. He didn't want to lose his son now too.

He swallowed thickly as he headed towards where he heard the twig snap. He could see some figures in the distance, and nearly busted with happiness when he saw that the figures weren't stumbling around. That meant...they couldn't be walkers.

Definitely not walkers.

The odds that it was that it was Daryl, along with the rest of the group, were higher now. He couldn't help but grin a bit brighter, his steps quickening to move him closer to the group in front of them.

 _I'm half a man at best, with half an arrow in my chest  
I miss everything we do  
I'm half a heart without you.  
Without you, without you  
Half a heart without you  
Without you, without you  
I'm half a heart without you._

Daryl still had his head down, following the trail of footprints. He worried his bottom lip between his teeth again, but eventually looked up and over at Carol when he felt a nudge to his shoulder. "What?" He whispered out, making sure to keep his voice low. The last thing they needed was walkers on their asses.

Carol didn't even say anything, instead just pointing ahead of them. The others caught on, and also had grins on their lips. She was trying to hide her own smile but she was failing miserably as Daryl finally straightened up, the hope flickering in his eyes.

Daryl glanced in the direction that she was pointing to, his eyes squinting up as he tried to see what, or rather who, it was in the distance. He knew it wasn't a walker. There was no way a walker could walk so straight and...crouched down a bit. He could tell who it was. He knew.

A genuine smile spread across his face as he started running, or rather sprinting, towards the familiar figure. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he got even closer to his boyfriend.

All in the while, he continued to stay as silent as he could, as to not draw any attention to himself or the others. His smile grew even bigger when he saw it was indeed Rick and the rest of the group. Rick was okay. Along with Carl, and Judith, and...everyone else. They hadn't lost anyone.

His attention focused back on Rick though as he continued to sprint, his crossbow smacking against his back which didn't even bother him. He was just so excited.

Rick let out a small, breathless chuckle as he dropped his gear to meet Daryl half way. He was sick of hiding their relationship and figured the hunter felt the same way considering he nearly attacked him in a hug. And again, Daryl wasn't the one to be intimate or deal with his feelings.

Daryl gently nuzzled his face in Rick's muscular shoulder, his genuine smile still spread across his face. Being in Rick's arms again was like...he was filled with hope. He was so grateful that the former cop was still alive. He tightened his arms around Rick's waist, swallowing thickly as he tried to force back his emotions.

"I missed you, man." Daryl spoke up first, breaking the short amount of silence that had fallen between them. It wasn't an awkward silence either, since they were both taking in each other's presence.

"Missed you too, of course," Rick replied without as much as a second thought. He was just happy to see everyone again; Especially Daryl. He could hear both halves of the groups getting closer to the two of them, who were still hugging each other tightly. He couldn't bring himself to care though.

The hunter was the first to pull away, but only to look up at Rick. He didn't even flinch as Rick reached forward to caress the hunter's cheek gently. Instead, he leaned into the hand, his cheeks coloured bright red now. He still got so flustered around the other man, even after having been so close to him for so long.

Rick wasn't sure who started leaning forward to close the gap between them. But before the two knew it, their lips were connected in a soft kiss as their eyes slipped shut.

Daryl's hands had moved to caress the back of Rick's neck, deepening the kiss a bit more, while Rick's hands went down to Daryl's waist as he gently caressed his sides. The two of them ignored the small gasps and murmuring between the group. It didn't matter to them.

They both felt complete now.

They were no longer two halves.

They felt whole.

**Well, that was another one of my stories. And I have to admit that this one...is not one of my better ones. I'm a little rusty due to school so hopefully I get better. Anyways, Reviews are always appreciated! And I hope you all have a lovely day! J **


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